The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) is a Hispanic-Serving Institution whose students reflect the character of South Texas and the changing demographics of the country. Although the University is only 30 years old, it is poised to become the next premier research institution in Texas. The faculty and administration are committed to this vision and have identified health services research as a critical area for further development. However, because it is a young institution faced with the demands of burgeoning enrollments, UTSA is strained to provide the type of infrastructure support that is necessary to realize its potential in the area of health services research. The support of M-RISP would enable UTSA to advance its health services research program and address the health issues of a large, underserved, and understudied sector of South Texas. [unreadable] [unreadable] The specific goals of the application are to: 1) enhance the capability of faculty to undertake health services research; 2) increase the number of faculty--especially members of ethnic minority groups-conducting health services research; 3) increase the number of students--especially members of ethnic minority groups--who are involved in health services research; and 4) strengthen ties to health services researchers in San Antonio and South Texas. [unreadable] [unreadable] As UTSA achieves these goals, it will be able to make more substantive contributions to health services research and, in the process, help fill the need for investigators from underrepresented groups. Moreover, because ethnic minority groups comprise 59% of the population of San Antonio, UTSA is ideally situated to examine the health services needs of these understudied and underserved groups. [unreadable] [unreadable] [unreadable] [unreadable] [unreadable]